Thiel/Crutchfield

I agree regardind the Crutchfield pricing - usually, their home stuff is at MSRP. Also, living in Virginia, means that I get to pay sales tax on top of their prices. However, they do have an outlet store in Charlottesville, VA. It may pay off if they discount the returned speakers in price enough to make the trip worthwhile. But, I do remember seeing their selection of Polk RTi and LSi speakers with the price tags taped onto the cabinets with packing tape. Eeek! That's a horrible way to treat real wood veneer.

Pops, I only based that on the responses I have gotten when commenting on Theils in the past. I only know one person who actually owns them. He is mostly into rock, so go figure.

I always got the impression that people were attracted to them for their very good soundstage and huge amount of detail. Whatever works in this wacky obsession of ours.

"Thiels are a non-mainstream sounding speaker with treble that many find downright irritable"

I used to sell and own Thiels, both. The speaker's trebble isn't harsh, and infact, it's well balanced! And, infact, you need an extrememely revealing speaker if you want the potential for high-end sound. That said, what you mate the speakers with can't be bright or edgy, but must be well balanced too. With less than perfect equipment (tubes works well), you can send any of these highly analytical and transparant sounding speakers over the edge!!
I've heard people for years say that Thiels, Wilson's, JM Lab's, Maggies, etc, were bright!! Well, my friend, it's all a matter of system matching (key), acoustics (another key), setup, toe-in, aim (yet another key),and just basically knowing what you're doing! You can walk into a dealer or customers home, who's got them set up wrong, and make assumptions. And they're just that, assumptions to the unknowing.
Hell I can take any number of high end speakers, that are VERY REVEALING, and make them sound too bright to listen to!
You simply use some edgy sounding amp or inteconnect, and that's it!
Yeah, the speakers AREN'T BRIGHT! It's "USER ERROR!"
Now, I don't own Thiels any more, but that's the facts, Jack

For the record, Thiel isn't going to sell anywhere near as many speakers, even to a bigger forum or vender like this! Their main sales needs to come from informed retail salesman, who can justify the purchase to the average customer. I used to sell Thiel, and your average buyer (who pays the bills...the audiophile will buy used) needs to be edjucated, and to be able to hear the darn things to justify that sale.
Good luck to Theil with Crutchfiel. I think it won't work so well, personally

I am somewhat surprised at a lot of the negative responses, it comes off a bit snobbish to me. If Theil never sells one speaker via Crutchfield at least it is getting their name out there to possible future buyers. Furthermore, it is possible that for those who were to purchase them, they may get excited about audio, such as many of us. Being that Crutchfield sells at MSRP, I don't see how this could hinder a local shop. Lastly, what if Theil needed to do this in atempt to keep themselves afloat? (I am not saying they are, I haven't a clue of their financial status.)